The failure to make ground, which was general all along the British front, was attributed to want of surprise, as we had bombarded the position for two days, and always attacked in the early afternoon.

Further, the ground was very heavy and observation extremely bad.

The Germans were fresh troops, and fought well.

Perhaps more than anything it was due to the effect of their machine-gun fire.
Taught by our creeping barrage that machine-guns in the front line were useless, the enemy had drawn them across the valley towards the road, and caught our advance over the brow of the rise with accurate distant machine-gun fire.
Changing the time of zero, the attack was renewed at 5.35 a.m.on the 15th October, the 18th Infantry Brigade on the left (2nd D.L.I.

and 11th Essex) attempting to seize those portions of Cloudy and Mild trenches still held by the enemy, while the Sherwood Foresters on their right attacked some gun pits which lay about 200 yards in front of their line.